Latch.



L. A. YOUNG.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1914.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 L. A. YOUNG.

LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12,.l914.

1 1 1 0,368. Patented Sept. 15, 1'914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

. To a@ whom-#Imag concern Be 1t known that I, LEONARDYA.- YOUNG,

a citizen-of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan,- have invented cer- `tain newl and useful Improvements in desirable that means be used for yieldingly maintaining the closure against the containing frame in such manner that the point between the two isy kept tight regardless of.`

slight variations due -to expansion or contraction of the parts'from `climaticy changes ,and-the like.

n Thisinvention relatesto a latchjand to an arrangement thereof whereby the door or other `closure to'which it is applied is firmly .held yieldingly and tightly against its jamb or casmg, such contact being maintained leven whenthe door or frame swells or contracts. A

' The invention consists in the matters hereinafter vset forth and more particularly pointed out in 'the appended claims.

In the drawings, lFigure. 1 is-a viewin front elevation of a ,latch embodying feai tures of the invention showing a striker and catchin closed relationyFig. 2 is a view in vertical section through the closedlatch showing the same applied to a door and door .jamb; Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal section in Adetail of a casing; Fig. 4 is aview detail of aibed plate and spring; Fig. 5

-is a view in longitudinal `section throu a k modification of the latch showing one o the catch members provided with a thumb piece; Fig. -6 i's a view in longitudinal section in detail showing a slight modification of the 4-5 latch mechanism;.Fig. 7 is a view .in detail of the spring, latch members-and bed plate of the modification Fig. 8 is a view in transverse section through a spring, bed

- .plate and adjacent parts; Fig. 9 is a view 1n detail of a striker member that likewise constitutes a handle; Fig.f10 is a view in detail.

showing a modicationof a casing; and Fig.

11 is a View in detail and in section through d the modified. casing, showing the relation thereof on the latch member..v

l Referring to the drawings, an exterior f casing 1 that is formed or struck up of sheet speomcuon or Letters rennt. Application led Juno 12, 1914. Serial No. 844,636.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

l RBJIDSED metal or otherwise made of suitable material., has a pair of projecting guide lugs 2 on lts front face whose adjacent convergent faces 3 terminate at the margins of a slot indicated at 4 in the front wall, The flanged base of the casing is adapted to be applied to the casing or jamb of a door or the like on which the latch is mounted, and is arranged to retain a bed plate 6, screws or other fastening means that pass through openings 7 in the casing fiange and registeringslots 8 in the plate holding the parts in position. v

A U-shaped spring strip 9 is secured as by -inturned ears 10 or the like to the base plate within the casing the oppositely disposed arms having longitudinally disposed slots and the resultant center tongue of each armjbeing shortened and inrolled as indicated lat 11 for a bearing. A pair of oppositely disposed latch plates 22 have recessed outer ends which bear against the inrolled tongue portions 11 of the springs, andabutting outer end faces which are in rolling contact, the'posi-tive interaction vof the parts being secured of segmental gear teeth 12 and 13. A retaining ear or keeper 14 is formed on one ofthe members 11 in such relation 'thereto that when the parts are forced inwardly past the line of the pivot portions 11 the keeper tends to keep an inserted member, as for example, a striker 15 which is moimted by 4a suitably designed portion base 16 on the closure or door 17 to which the latch is applied. A longitudinal slot 24 is. formed in t 14 when the arms are in outwardly projecting relation or in open position as indicated in Fig. 5, in which relation the outer wall of the casing 1 acts as a retainer to limit the movement of the arms. rhe portions of e casing to clear the keeper` the spring 9 that extend beyond the pivot bearings 11 are inturned 'and act as parallel face guides between which the latch .members are free to oscillate. The parts are further so proportioned that Awhen the striker is guided into the slot 4 by the converging faces 3 of the guide lugs 2, and is thereby encountered and force the latch members inward against the outwardly yielding arms of the spring, and the door 17 is contacted withthe jamb member, the latch members are still clear of the spring or base plate and because of the converging tendency of the spring -arms exert an inward 'ressure upon the striker 15 and thereby ose the 4 joint between the door and the jamb under all normal working conditions.

A handle member 18 on the striker facilitates the operation of the latter and is also in such convenient relation to the casing that in a modified form of the latch wherein one of the latch members has a thumb piece 19 extending through a suitable opening in the casing, the hand of the operator may grasp the handle 18 and with the thumb as a fulcrum pressing against the thumb piece 19 assist materially in unsnapping or releasing the latch members.

In the modification shown in Figs. 6 and 7 a link 20 having parallel sides passes through an opening in one of the latch members and plays in a slot 2l in the othell acting as a guide to replace the extended portions of the main spring for maintaining the latch members in alined relation. j

The casing may be so modified, as shown in Figs. 10 and 11, that holder guide lugs 23 thereon completely `house the latch mem-v bers, the longitudinal slot 24 of the other construction being omitted.

As a result of this construction a latch is obtained that is lquickly and readily applied to any door that maintains the door in tightly closed position and that readily yields to a pull so as to release the door without the necessity of turning a handle or throwing a latch bolt.

Obviously, changes in the details of construction may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and I do not care to limit myself to any particular form or arrangement of parts.

What I claim is:

A1. A latch comprising a striker member, a casing having guide lugs for the striker, a spring having oppositely disposed arms mounted in the casing, a pair of oppositely disposed latch plates pivotally engaged at the outer ends in the spring arms respectively, with their inner ends in rolling contact and in the path of motion of the striker, and a keeper on one of the latch plates adapted to retain the striker when the latter has entered the casing and passed the line of the pivot centers of the latch plates, the latter coperating with the spring to yieldingly; force the striker inward when so engage 2. A latch comprising a striker, a casing provided with guiding means for receiving the striker, a spring member in the casing having a pair of oppositely disposed arms, a pair of oppositely disposed latch members pivotallv1 and detachably interlocking with the spring arms near the outer ends and in rolling contact near their inner ends which lie in the path of the striker, a keeper on one of the latch members for engaging the striker,

the latch members and spring coperating to yieldingly maintain an inward pressure on' the striker when the latter has passed the line of pivotal connections between the spring and the latch members,

.and means in sliding engagement withthe `for the striker, a spring in the casing having oppositely disposed arms, latch plates each bearing against a spring arm near the outer end and in rolling contact at the inner ends thereof, substantially in the path of the striker, and a keeper for engaging the striker, adapted to coperate with the arms and spring to force the striker yieldingly inward -when it has passed the line of attachment of the latch plates and spring arms.

4. A latch comprising a striker, a casing having a receiving slot therefor, guide projections on the casing adjacent the slot, a spring secured between its ends in the casing and provided with oppositely extending arms, and a pair of latch plates detachably fulcrumed near their outer ends on the spring arms with their inner end portions in rolling contact and in the path of the striker, said arms being adapted to grip an inserted striker and force it yieldingly inward when the striker has passed the line of pivotal attachment of the latch plates and springs.

5. A latch comprising a striker, a casing having a receiving slot therefor, guide projections on the casing adjacent the slot, a spring secured between its ends the casing and provided with oppositely extending arms, a pair of latch plates detachably fulcrumed near their outer ends on the spring arms with their inner end portions in rolling contact in the path ofthe striker, said arms being adapted to grip an inserted striker and vforce it yieldingly inward when the strikerhas passed the line of pivotal attachment of the latch plates and springs, and a thumb piece on one of the latch members extending through the casing on the side of the latch plate fulcrum opposite the guide slots.

6. A latch comprising a striker, a casing having a receiving slot for the striker, and guiding means for the striker adjacent the slot, a bed plate in the casing, a spring member attached to the bed plate and provided with oppositely extending arms embracing the guide slot, a pair of latch plates removably fulcrumed near their outer ends on the spring arms with the inner end portions thereof in rolling contact and in the path of the striker, the length of the arms being greater than the normal distance'between the points of pivotal connection with the spring, and a keeper carried by the latch plate and adapted to coperate with the latch plates to grip and orce the striker yieldingly inward when the latter has passed the line of pivotal connections between the latch plates and spring arms.

7. A latch comprising a striker, a casing provided with a guide way for receiving the striker, a spring mounted in the casing having oppositely disposed longitudinally slotted arms each with an enrolled middle tongue forming a fulcrum bearing, a pair of latch plates each seated at its inner end against the fulcrum of a spring, arm between the outer arms thereof, the outer end portions of the latch plates being in rolling contact and in the path of the striker, and a keeper for retaining the striker against the latclr plates and forcing the striker inward.

when the latter has spring fulcrums.

8. A latch comprising a striker, a casing having a receiving slot for the striker, a pair of oppositelydisposed guide members for directing the striker into the slot, a spring member secured between its ends in the casing and provided with oppositely disposed arms, a longitudinal tongue formed from each arm` and inrolled as a fulcrum bearing, a pair of latch plates, the inner passed the line of the end faces of 'which are arranged to rock upon the fulcrum bearings and between the outer portions of the spring arms, the outer end portions of the plates being in rolling engagement and in the path of the striker, .and a keeper for retaining the striker against the latch plates and coperating with the spring and latch plates to force the'striker inwardly when it has passed the line of fulcruln bearings.

9. A latch comprising' a striker, a'casing having a receiving slot for the striker, a pair of oppositely disposed guide members for directing the striker into the slot, a spring member secured between its ends in the casing and provided with oppositely disposed arms, a longitudinal tongue formed from each arm and inrolled as a fulcrum bearing, a pair of latch plates, the inner end faces of which are arranged to rock' upon the fulcrum bearings and between the;

way for receiving the striker and adapted to be secured to a frame member for the closure, a bed plate mounted in the casing, a spring member secured between the oppositely curved slotted end portions thereof to the bed plate, a latch plate fulcrum on each arm of the spring brldging a longitudinal slot; therein, a pair of oppositely disposed latch plates with the inner ends thereof rocking against the fulcrums between the side portions of the spring arms, the outer end portions of the latch plates being in rolling contact and in the path of the striker, a keeper on one of the latch plates adapted to grip the striker and to cooperate with the spring arms and latch plates to force the striker inwardly lwhen the latter has passed the line of the spring fulcrums and a thumb piece extending from the pivot end of one of the latch plates through an opening in the casing in manually operative relation to the handle of the striker. s

In testimony wherof I ailiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

LEONARD A. YOUNG. Witnesses:

ANNA M. Donn, G. E. MGGRANN. 

